The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) will continue to leverage its distinctive advantages to help the motherland connect with the Portuguese-speaking countries and other nations, and further integrate itself into the overall national development, said Sam Hou Fai, the newly elected sixth-term chief executive designate of the Macao SAR, on Sunday.
Sam made the remarks at a press conference after the Electoral Affairs Commission for the Chief Executive Election announced that he had won the election with 394 votes in favor out of 398 valid ballots.
When elaborating on his planned efforts to push for Macao's integration into the overall national development, Sam stressed that the Macao SAR should stick to the outlined development plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and help the motherland expand openness in accordance with the region's position of "one center, one platform and one base," namely a world center of tourism and leisure, an economic and trade cooperation platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking countries as well as a cultural exchange and cooperation base.
"We should make use of our advantages and give full play to the advantages of 'one country, two systems' principle in the SAR to participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. At the same time, under the leadership of the central government, we should implement and develop various tasks and projects of the second phase of the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, with an open mind and reform and innovation measures. In addition, we should give full play to the advantages of the Macao SAR in connecting China with the world, especially the Portuguese-speaking countries. We should adhere to the position of 'One Center, One Platform and One Base', promote the connection between the Macao SAR and the Portuguese-speaking countries, and assist the nation in trade, finance, culture, and tourism, allowing it to use Macao as a platform to strengthen economic ties and exchanges with the Portuguese-speaking countries," said Sam.
At the news conference, the newly elected chief executive designate also said Macao is an inseparable part of the country.
Noting that especially after its return to the motherland, Macao and the country are closed linked by destiny, he said that the region's significant achievements in such fields as economy and people’s livelihood have attracted global attention, fully demonstrating the strong vitality of the "one country, two systems" principle.
"When the country is strong, Macao is prosperous. Over the past 25 years since Macao's returned to the motherland, the Special Administrative Region has faithfully implemented the 'one country, two systems'. With the strong support of the central government and the robust assistance and support of the people across the country, the Macao Special Administrative Region has made great progress in terms of politics, economy, society and people’s livelihoods," Sam said.
Macao SAR to further integrate into overall national development: chief executive designate
Many residents in the U.S. state of Florida have still been left without power and running water after Hurricane Milton struck the state on Wednesday.
The affected local communities and the state government have now started the work of the post-hurricane reconstruction, but it has turn out to be challenging for many residents.
"It was the strongest winds we've ever had here in St. Petersburg in 103 years. We were hit with the north side of the winds, so we were bearing the biggest impact of the winds here. And because we've had three hurricanes, this was our third hurricane in a row. We had one in August, one in September, and this was the third one in October. With all the winds and the rains, pushed on these trees, and this was the third hurricane, was too much for these trees. The big tree fell down, the other one fell on our house," said Mark Patricia, a local resident of St. Petersburg.
"You can see the roots, they just tumble over. There's no power, no water. Because the roof, there's a hole in the roof, so there was some water damage on the floor. So, we can't stay there. We don't know how long is it gonna take for us to go back to normalcy," said Seth Patricia, wife of Mr. Patricia.
Despite that the local government has been working to restore services, many areas in the state still remain in disarray, with the affected residents struggling to rebuild their houses.
"I mean, it's not normal, and lots of places are closed. Like, gas stations are closed, restaurants are closed because there's no power in some of those places. We have seen the National Guard come through, like, the first day that we came back. We were starting to work on our house and clean it out and the National Guard came through, and they stopped by our house twice asking if we needed food or water or tarps. So, as far as I know, that's most of what I've seen. I've seen a lot of policemen out handling stoplights that are non-functional. There's a policeman at every intersection where the lights aren't working. That's the extent of what I know that they've done. Right now, we are kind of at a standstill with rebuilding because we don't have insurance on our home. We're in a non-flood zone. So, we don't have insurance to cover the damage from this storm and the previous storm," said Rachel, another resident.
Locals are also voicing their frustration over the federal government's inaction, saying that it should focus more on the wellbeing of its citizens.
"We're sending hundreds of billions of dollars to the Ukraine and we're not keeping any reserve for when we have things like this. I don't see the federal government actually doing anything in this area. I haven't heard of any of them doing anything in this area. The state government, on the other hand, I have to give credit. They're doing everything they can. So, I think we're probably going to make it, but it's just going to be rough," said local resident William Dahm.
"Honestly, there's really not a whole lot that I think the government can do than what they're already doing. And that's just for the simple fact that they just don't have the resources that they need in order to do it," said Tommy, another resident.
Many residents in U.S. state of Florida still left without power, running water days after Hurricane Milton
